Mariinsky Theater

In 1783 the Grand Stone Theatre has been established on the Theatre Square. It is considered the second most important Russian theatre, after the Bolshoy Theatre in Moscow. The theatre was named "Mariinsky" after the Empress Maria Alexandrovna - wife of the Czar Alexander II. It opened triumphantly on the 2nd of October 1860 with a performance of Glinka's opera "A Life for the Czsar".

It was this theatre that famous Russian poet A. Pushkin described the names of A. Istomina, C. Didlot, and the famous contemporary actress E. Semenova. In the 1840's an interest in circus performances arose in St. Petersburg. On Carrousel Square, a Parisian style theatre-circus was built opposite the Bolshoy theater, complete with a stage and circus ring. The creator of this original architectural idea was A. Kavos, one of the leading Russian architects of the time. He was the son of the head conductor of the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theatre, composer and pedagogue K. Kavos.


The theatre had impressively grand decoration, unusual spatial form and was the first theatre in Russia to have gas lighting. Exactly 10 years after its opening it was destroyed by fire, and only the stone walls were left standing. Alexander II ordered the reconstruction of the building and chose A. Kavos to work on the project. This time the theatre was to be constructed as a musical-drama theatre. By the 13th of May 1859 the goals of the project included increasing the width of the stage (so that would be the same as that of the Bolshoi Theatre), and the width of the proscenium arch, which was to be made even wider than that of La Scala, Milan. They also aimed to lengthen the auditorium, construct another circle, and build a separate staircase and foyer for the Czsar's box.



The world famous Mariinsky Theatre is a splendid azure, crystal and gilt auditorium. It's subtle yet majestic facade, comfortable boxes, and famous curtain are all the work of A. Golovin. The auditorium of the Mariinsky is wonderfully impressive: the refined aristocratic range of colours composed of gilt molded decorations, white sculptures and blue velvet chairs, and the splendid thee-tiered chandelier, created by E. Frachioli according to the design of professor C. Duzi. The hall holds 1,625 people, and one can scarcely find any vacant seats at any performance. It has witnessed the triumphs of many generations of Mariinsky stars. The artistic development of the Mariinsky theatre is associated with performances (often premieres) of operas by the great Russian composers such as N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, P.I. Chaikovsky, S.S. Prokofyev, D.D. Shostakovich and others, as well as foreign classical composers. The theatre has always had eminent conductors, and the troupe has consisted of world-famous opera and ballet stars such as F. Shalyapin, A. Pavlova, V. Nizhinsky, G. Ulanova and M. Baryshnikov. To this day, it attracts ballet and opera lovers like a magnet - a place of perfection, skill, and inspiration.